Gannon Students Apply Service-Learning to Local Community

Posted: June 11, 2013

Erie, Pa. - Over 2013 spring break, eight Gannon University
students and one faculty member participated in an Alternative
Break Service Trip (ABST) to Detroit where they learned the
importance and value of community involvement to reach a common
goal of a healthier environment. Students returning from Detroit
wanted to apply to Gannon what they learned.

Tomorrow, they'll put education and service into action at the
Goodwill Garden "Pot Luck" Planting Party. The committee is
welcoming participants to help plant or donate various plants and
seeds; tools and refreshments provided. The Planting Party is
Wednesday June 5, at 4:30 p.m. in the West Hall courtyard at the
corner of West 7th and Chestnut streets.

The Gannon Goodwill Garden has already yielded over 800 pounds
of fresh vegetables, which are then distributed to food pantries
and similar organizations that help families in need. ABST
participants organized the garden's relocation to the West Hall
courtyard, where plants will have a more functional environment to
thrive.

The committee is focused on urban agriculture that brings people
together by growing nutritious foods that sustain the community.
Grain from breweries, leftover food from restaurants, woodchips
from landscapers, as well as food scraps from individual homes can
be used for compost, making the soil nutrient-rich for growing
healthy produce.

Gannon University's Erie-GAINS (Gannon Alliances to Improve
Neighborhood Sustainability) seeks to improve the environmentally
sustainability of the target area, which includes the area bordered
by Presque Isle to the north, Parade Street to the east, 11th
Street to the south, and the Bayfront Parkway to the west. The
Gannon garden will be housed in the target community, keeping up
with the Erie-GAINS initiative.

All involved hope the Gannon Goodwill Garden will strengthen the
close-knit bond of the Gannon community. The students who traveled
to Detroit over spring break hope to inspire all future
participants in the ABST program to bring back what they learn and
apply it to the surrounding Erie community.